According to an embodiment of an electromagnetic relay, the electromagnetic relay includes a contact switching unit formed by arranging at least two contact groups, in parallel with each other and perpendicular to a touch/separation direction of the contacts, each of the contact groups includes a pair of contacts which are adapted to touch each other and separate from each other, an electromagnet block that drives the contact switching unit to open/close the contacts, and an arc extinguishing member including a connection member made from a magnetic material and formed by a connection, of projecting sections that respectively project out from both sides of a middle part in the direction of the parallel arrangement of the contact groups and between the contact groups, and permanent magnets respectively disposed at least on the opposing positions of the projecting section located on both sides of the middle part.
The electromagnetic relay preferably includes a case to be attached to a base to cover the contact switching unit and the electromagnet block, wherein
the case includes a recessed portion to which the projecting section and the permanent magnet of the arc extinguishing member can be arranged.
Preferably, a polarity of an opposing surface of each permanent magnet and a direction in which an arc current generated at a time of contact opening/closing flow are determined so that a force of displacing toward the middle part of the connection member is generated on the arc current.
In an alternate embodiment, a polarity of an opposing surface of each permanent magnet and a direction in which an arc current generated at a time of contact opening/closing flow may be determined to be in opposite directions between the adjacent contact open/close positions.
The electromagnetic relay preferably includes a base to be attached with the contact switching unit and the electromagnet block, wherein
the contact is fixed to one end section of a touch piece that projects out from the base, and
the arc extinguishing member has the middle part of the connection member arranged near the contact on a projecting direction side of the touch piece.
According to another embodiment of the electromagnetic relay, an electromagnetic relay includes a contact switching unit having a fixed touch piece and a movable touch piece facing the fixed touch piece, an electromagnet block being magnetized or demagnetized to drive the movable touch piece so that a movable contact arranged in the movable touch piece opens/closes with respect to a fixed contact arranged in the fixed touch piece; wherein
at least two fixed touch pieces including the fixed contact are provided,
the movable touch piece includes at least a pair of contact piece portions including the movable contact, and an arc extinguishing member including a connection member having projecting sections projecting out from both sides of each touch piece portion and connected with each other via a middle part between the open/close positions of the contact and permanent magnets respectively disposed at each of the opposing positions of the projecting sections located on both sides.
In one embodiment of the electromagnetic relay, the connection member of the arc extinguishing member is formed by an opposing wall at both ends of an intermediate wall, and side parts are raised from the opposing wall side on opposite sides with respect to a central part to form the projecting section located between the contact groups at the central part of the intermediate wall.
In another embodiment of the electromagnetic relay, a flat plate-shaped wall surface portion may be configured with the projecting sections.
In yet another embodiment of the electromagnetic relay, the connection member of the arc extinguishing member includes a first connecting portion and a second connecting portion, each connecting portion being configured by forming a first side wall and a second side wall at both ends of the intermediate wall so as to face each other; and the projecting section located between the contact groups being configured by the second side walls.
In an alternate embodiment of the electromagnetic relay, the second side wall of the first connecting portion and the second side wall of the second connecting portion may configure a flat plate-shaped wall surface portion.